


More Than You Know

by tokiidokii



Category: THE iDOLM@STER, The iDOLM@STER Sidem
Genre: Bathing, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mild Angst, Sickfic, just some soft kyominos for the soul, very minor sexual reference once
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2019-05-07 21:58:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14680305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tokiidokii/pseuds/tokiidokii
Summary: Minori has a bad cold, and Kyoji helps in more ways than one.





	More Than You Know

**Author's Note:**

> just some 2k odd words of kyoji being the best boyfriend. and NO vomit in this one! i promise

“I’ll be fine.”

Minori figured that was what they were going to put on his gravestone as he lied in bed, sick with the flu. Just a day or so ago, his body felt tired, his nose ran - but he went to sleep confident it was nothing more than a cold. He never expected to wake up quaking with a fever.

Kyoji fretted, poor thing, but tried his best. Minori warned him not to get too close, hating the thought of giving him such a horrible illness, but Kyoji was nothing if not loyal. On a certain level, he clearly wanted to follow Minori’s orders. But Kyoji checked up on him near constantly. Once he realized Minori needed aid for simple tasks like eating and drinking fluids, Kyoji called in sick for work too. Minori made sure Kyoji knew his company was both wanted and appreciated, he only worried about his health. 

Minori was pretty sure the check ups were constant, anyways. His sense of time slipped away somewhere after his body became too sore to move.

He _ached_. A constant, full body throb, the worst of it settling in his knees and around his shoulders. His form would occasionally wrack with shivers, fever rising and falling, overworking his muscles until they were exhausted. Of course, he had been in far worse pain than this - hit, beaten, attacked - but this was by far the most enduring. He was getting desperate for a reprieve, willing himself to fall asleep for awhile and stop coughing and shaking and hurting. But symptoms made it hard to sleep, even with Minori gently perched with his back against every pillow in the house. He would need to cough thickly, or blow his nose, or stretch out a spasm.

Something somewhere made a noise loud enough to rouse him from a half sleep, a sound Minori’s feverish brain struggled to identify.

“...nori? Minori, are you okay?” Kyoji appeared. It then registered that sound had came out of his own mouth, a low, involuntary moan caused by his aching body.

“Mm...it just hurts...” He tried to reassure, but his voice sounded so rough and weak. Kyoji sat on the bed next to him and ran his hand through Minori’s hair, earning him a shaky but appreciative sigh.

“Where does it hurt?” 

“All over...”

“I’m sorry...” Kyoji told him, almost as if it was his fault.

“It’s alright...it’ll pass...” Minori said both to Kyoji and himself. 

It’ll pass. Hazy memories intrusively pushed in the remaining lucid parts of his mind, having taken care of himself through worse in the old days when he was by himself. Alone, wasting away on the bathroom floor, barely able to pull himself into the bathtub and blast himself with cold water before his brain fried in his skull. It’ll pass. It’ll pass. It would either pass, or he would die there and no longer have to worry. At the time, either option sounded viable, but that kind of thinking was almost laughable to him now.

Instead, the morbid memory just made him notice his skin felt gross and greasy.

“Can I get you anything...?”

“Wanna shower...” He slurred, opening his eyes to focus on the blurry image of Kyoji before him. 

“It’s been awhile since you cleaned up, but you’re so weak...do you...want to try taking a bath?” Kyoji asked. “Maybe the heat’ll help?”

“Sounds lovely...” Minori replied, shutting his eyes. “Could you...?”

“O-of course. I’ll go run the water. Do you need anything else before I go?” Kyoji made it sound as if he was leaving for days.

“Uh-uh...” He mumbled before hearing Kyoji quietly wander off. Unwilling to let his thoughts travel back to a dark place, he forced his mind to think about the present, about Kyoji, and tried not to focus too much on the pain. Kyoji appeared several minutes later, patting Minori out of a light doze.

“It’s ready...can you stand...?” Kyoji had assisted him with walking to the bathroom earlier, but that felt like awhile ago. He willed himself to sit up, and he actually managed. However, his back shook with effort. The feeling reached his shoulders pretty quickly, the joints there creaking and aching with protest. He winced, but endured. Minori was blessed with a high pain tolerance, or perhaps simply developed one out of necessity. It still had its advantages, but he was thankful he didn’t need it so much these days.

“I can hardly move...” He didn’t even want to try bending his legs, stiff calves trembling from the strain in his knees. “Carry me?”

“Don’t push yourself. I’ll...I think I can do it...” Kyoji’s voice broke towards the end of his sentence. Minori grunted in affirmation, going limp as Kyoji pulled back the covers and put one arm around Minori’s back and the other under his thighs.

He might have been more excited for Kyoji to carry him had he been more self aware, heart fluttering regardless as Kyoji effortlessly pulled Minori’s thin form to his firm chest. Kyoji was much stronger than he gave himself any credit for, it was a shame he didn’t put it to more use. 

Kyoji lifted, and Minori hissed suddenly, gritting his teeth as his body moved into a new position. The limit to his threshold for pain had snuck up behind him as his knees bent and tingled from having fallen asleep.

“M-minori?! S-sorry, shit-“ Kyoji started to lower him, but Minori looped an arm around his neck.

“Ahh- ahh, legs’ asleep...don’t put me down....haah...!” Minori whimpered. Kyoji obeyed, waiting for the pain to subside as Minori’s body shuddered fiercely. Things got a little easier once his blood started pumping and Minori accumulated himself to the renewed ache in his joints. He clung to Kyoji for comfort with a newfound strength, and found the pain immensely easier to ride out in his grasp. It only took 10 seconds or so for the pain to become manageable, but Minori felt like several minutes had passed. “Ok...I’m ok now...”

“I’m sorry I hurt you...” Kyoji whispered, hesitant. “Are you sure you want me to carry you? I’m really sorry.”

“You didn’t...it’s okay, just stiff...” Minori’s voice wobbled, much more awake than before. He squeezed Kyoji for emphasis. “Your arms feel safe and warm....”

“Uhm...thank you...” Kyoji acted bewildered as he carried him towards the bathroom despite the fact Minori truly meant it. He tried to think of something better to say, but his brain stalled, and he remained silent as Kyoji placed him to sit on the toilet lid.

He distantly recognized some kind of floral fragrance wafting through the room, but his nose was too stuffed and his mind was too slow to place it. It must be a mix of several kinds of flowers, he concluded, watching with tired eyes as Kyoji fumbled with the buttons on his pajama shirt while undressing him. Kyoji kneeled down, hands awkwardly fumbling with his waistband before pulling it and his underwear both down with a good tug. Kyoji almost seemed to be averting his eyes. 

Now completely naked, Kyoji scooped Minori back up and gently lowered him into the bathwater. Minori sighed as his skin hit the water, fatigued body enveloped in an incredible heat that drew a pleasured sound from his lips. He almost forgot Kyoji was there once he was set down, focusing his attention back on him when Kyoji suddenly cleared his throat.

“Do you...want any privacy...?” He asked as he stared at the floor, face red. Minori rolled his eyes up at him, unable to move much else.

“Kyoji...haven’t we fucked before?” He asked, half teasing, half genuinely confused. Kyoji’s eyes went so wide, Minori burst out laughing at the sight.

“N-no, I mean-! I don’t-...S-sorry. Please don’t make that face...”

“I’m not laughing at you...you’re just too cute...” He smiled, closing his eyes. “You’re sweet for asking...please, stay?”

“Okay...I’m sorry.” Kyoji said, kneeling on the floor next to the tub.

“Stop saying sorry, won’t you, sweetheart?”

“So-mmm.” Kyoji hummed, causing Minori to chuckle again. Kyoji’s face burned. Minori, in higher spirits and more alert, explained himself.

“I love you, you know....I’d never make fun of you. You’re so quiet, when you speak, I just never know what you’re going to say next. Sometimes it’s really funny, and cute...”

“I know you wouldn’t...I just...don’t want to mess up.”

“Everyone messes up. It’s okay. I’ll tell you when you do.”

“Ah...M-Minori...” Kyoji seemed speechless, so Minori allowed himself to completely relax. 

Other than the deep seated ache in his knees and his shoulders, his body pains slowly started to ebb away in the sweet smelling water. The steam eased his sinuses, making it a easier to breathe again. His chest felt lighter. No longer cramping or coughing, exhaustion laid over him like a thick blanket, its comfortable heaviness pressing down on him until he couldn’t keep his eyes open.

A hand on his shoulder shook him awake.

“Minori...you shouldn’t fall asleep here...” Kyoji mumbled.

“Mm...guess so...” Minori coughed, straightening his back away from the side of the tub to keep from falling back asleep.

“Do you need anything...?”

“Wash my hair...” Minori requested sleepily. Kyoji muttered an affirmative response, and Minori heard him reach for the shampoo. “Oh, brush it first...?”

“Right. You keep your brush in the drawer here, right...?” The drawer slid open. “Here it is...could you sit up?”

“Guess I should, huh....” It took effort, but Minori pushed himself up. He had regained some ability to move after soaking for awhile. 

Kyoji gently ran the brush through Minori’s hair, attempting to reclaim his missing part after two days of bedhead. Minori could purr at the attention, Kyoji putting far more care than necessary to brush out all the tangles without pulling. He sleepily cracked his eyes open to say something, but he lost his train of thought almost immediately.

“Hmm...water’s purple...”

“You didn’t notice?” Kyoji asked.

“Has it been like that th’ whole time?” Minori heard Kyoji laugh behind him, a fleeting but genuine sound that made him feel like he could melt into the water. Kyoji’s laughs were even rarer than his smiles.

“Yea...I put one of your flower scented bath things in it...is that okay?” Kyoji’s tone faltered as he laid Minori back into the water far enough to wet his hair.

“You’re so considerate...” The ‘I don’t deserve you’ was on the tip of his tongue, but it died there as Kyoji straightened him up, slid his hands into his hair, and began massaging shampoo onto Minori’s scalp. 

The touch left him even more at ease as he relaxed muscles in his back he didn’t realize were still tensed. Minori leaned into his gentle fingers like a cat getting scratched, reveling in his short fingernails scraping lightly against his scalp. Kyoji had more confidence in his movements now - everyone knew how to wash hair, Minori supposed. But he still went about it in the careful way Kyoji did everything, working Minori’s hair up into a lather without pulling or yanking. Minori’s eyes drooped, almost lulled to sleep, when a long, low moan bubbled out of his chest and caught the both of them off guard.

Kyoji paused.

“Hehe...keep going....” Minori said, amused. Kyoji’s hands stiffened against Minori’s skin, then continued.

“I’m gl-glad it feels good...” Kyoji said, swallowing. Minori’s eyes were still closed, but he could hear the blush in Kyoji’s voice.

“Mmhmm...you’re gentle...” He had more compliments to give, but his head nodded forward, and suddenly his hair was rinsed. 

Unlike before, Minori fought to stay awake. He enjoyed Kyoji’s attention and knew he needed to work with Kyoji in order to be bathed. On top of that, he just didn’t want to miss being pampered. But he just felt so _tired_. It was a far more comfortable tired than before, less desperate, more sleepy and warm. Time started skipping, suddenly he was standing, then Kyoji was patting him dry as he sat on the lid of the toilet, and he only roused when he heard the hair dryer blasting in his ear.

“Tired....” Minori stated, as if it wasn’t obvious.

“I know. Wait just a little longer, okay...?”

Minori grunted and heard Kyoji mumble out another little ‘sorry’. He waited, though, feeling Kyoji brush him and run his hands through his hair in ways he had clearly observed Minori doing before. In the end, his roots still felt a bit damp, but Minori couldn’t find it in him to complain as Kyoji dressed him in fresh pajamas and lifted him back up. Nuzzling into his chest, Minori sighed in contentment. 

“I love you.” Kyoji pressed a light kiss to his forehead as he carried him into the bedroom. Minori beamed, he didn’t want to let go as Kyoji laid his limp body onto the bed and tucked him in. Kyoji bent down over the bedside, relief evident on his face that he managed to get Minori into bed without causing him any more pain.

“Feel better?”

“I love you s’ much...” Minori forced his tired eyes open just a little longer. “I dunno what I’d do without you...”

“Thank you...I don’t know what I’d do without you either. I just wish there was more I could do to help...”

“You help me more than you’ll ever know...” Minori confessed. Kyoji went silent for a moment, overwhelmed. Minori had almost lost the battle and succumbed to his exhaustion when Kyoji spoke again.

“Do you need anything else...?”

“Hmmm...” Minori turned his head to look at Kyoji. “Bed’s awfully cold when I’m all alone...”

“O-oh...” Kyoji pulled back the covers, but stopped suddenly. “Wait, what about not getting too close?”

“Huh...?” Minori honestly couldn’t remember what he was talking about. 

“Actually, nevermind.” Kyoji shook his head and crawled into bed next to him.

Minori closed his eyes, feeling Kyoji’s arms wrap tightly around him, and he was out before Kyoji finished settling into bed.


End file.
